I’ve always been a pretty transparent person, and my history of an eating disorder is no exception to my translucence. I was diagnosed with Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia when I was 17, and while the road I’m on now certainly has fewer bumps and divots than it once did, I can’t, and won’t, say recovery has been smooth sailing.
I do consider myself extremely fortunate in regard to how quickly I was able to begin recovery. This is partly due to the assistance I received, although good friends and family were honestly more helpful than professionals at the time; an additional component was my own drive to get myself better.
I thought I would create a series, if you will, consisting of some common questions people have for individuals in eating disorder recovery, followed by my own personal answers. I figure perhaps my honestly can help someone else out there, and that is enough for me.
Q: What caused your eating disorder to develop?
A: I’ve determined in retrospect that my eating disorder tendencies were probably always there, lying dormant and waiting for an opportunity to make their presence known. I was in a car wreck in October 2011 and was 16 at the time. I wasn’t physically injured, but ended up developing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder from the accident. This then developed into anxiety, which then spurred my eating disorder into overdrive.
Q: How serious was your eating disorder?
A: In complete honesty, all eating disorders, of any degree, are serious, and my situation was no different. I was playing competitive rugby at the time, although it was the off-season; I am 5’9 and weighed 165 pounds prior to getting sick. My lowest weight was 113 pounds, and this was the turning point for me in which I was forced to accept professional help. I didn’t menstruate for almost two years in total; my hair was falling out; I was freezing all of the time; I now have a heart condition from long-term damage done to my body; I have a plethora of digestive issues resulting from my eating disorder; my bone health took a beating, as did my brain development; I have permanent circulation issues.
Check back tomorrow for more raw and truthful answers.
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
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